FirstRead

Without fighter opposition, the Stuka proved to be a very effective weapon.

Short for “Sturzkampfflugzeug”, its name is synonymous with the Blitzkrieg
and during the early months of World War II, it wreaked havoc amongst the enemy
troops.

Many of Hitler’s Allies were impressed and placed orders with Germany for their
own examples. This book from Mushroom Model Publications is about those
acquisitions.

The soft cover book contains over 100 black and white photographs within its 104
pages. Most are printed two per page and as an added bonus; two colour images
have also been included.

There is some lovely artwork presented with Jacek Jackiewicz doing a splendid
job. Twenty seven different airframes are illustrated with many showing both
upper and lower surface views. These allow the reader a clear picture of the
placement of the various National markings.

The book is set out in a logical fashion with the initial chapter being devoted
to the first country to receive the Stuka. Hungary didn’t take full delivery of
them straight away though, due to the former having a running battle with
Romania. As the latter country was supplying Hitler with oil and other supplies,
a diplomatic solution had to be reached first.

Chapter two covers the types use by the Regia Aeronautica with the sub-sections
describing the various areas of operation. Included is a fascinating piece
written about Giuseppe Cenni, also known as “the little dancer”. After surviving
near starvation as a POW, Cenni went on to fly the Ju 87 and pioneered the idea
of skipping the aircraft’s bomb across the water at his naval targets. He scored
well in over 100 combat missions and was awarded one of Italy’s highest hours,
the Medaglia d’Oro al Valor Militare, when he failed to return from a mission in
1943.

Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia were also recipients of the Stuka and further
chapters relate their use of the aircraft. As with previous sections of the
book, there is good photographic coverage to show the aircraft concerned.

The contribution made by Russian pilots is not forgotten and the penultimate
chapter is devoted to them. Many defecting Soviet airmen and ex-Soviet POWs
found their way into combat units, some even receiving the Iron Cross.

The final piece is for those aircraft captured and tested by other Nations
during the war.
America, Britain, the Soviet Union, and even Yugoslavia had examples to analyse
and test during the war.

The text is easy to read although there is the odd area where one would like
further clarification; this generally relating to the political status of some
of the units concerned.

Interspersed throughout the book are tables that provide a variety of
information. Depending on the country concerned, there is data on the variants
of Stuka flown, crew composition, fate of aircraft, and even serial numbers.

Conclusion

For those wanting a different slant on the operational use of the Ju 87, this
book is a start in the right direction. It provides a good overview of the
different countries that used the type and is backed up with some really superb
artwork.

North American
distributors are Squadron/MMD, Australian distributors are Platypus
Publications. In Europe, the books are available from any good bookshop (via our
UK distributors, Orca). Contact MMP direct in case of difficulties.